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Parents failing to be green

Mums and dads are undermining schools’ attempts to make children environmentally responsible, according to new research

Parents are failing to follow up efforts from schools to teach their children to be greener, a new study suggests.

The research, conducted by AlertMe, spoke to 2,170 mums and dads with school age kids. They found that 37% of parents didn’t feel they set a good example to their kids when it came to being green, with 55% believing their children would grow up to be wasteful with energy as a result.

What’s more, 51% said they’d find it really tricky to try and change their home lives to be more energy friendly.

"Schools are making huge efforts to help make our children more environmentally aware and the signs are there that a younger generation is taking this message on board,” said Mary Turner, chief executive of AlertMe.

“But if parents don't reinforce this at home, there is a real danger that we risk undoing all the good work.

"This is about eliminating waste, not sacrificing convenience and comfort," added Mary.

There's lots of research about how other pressures -financial and societal - are suppressing green behaviour. this being the case, the best opportunity to encourage a change in behaviour is to focus the benefits on the individual's immediate 'world' - their family and local community rather than expressing concerns about the health of the planet...that's just too big to comprehend and tends to get dismissed.
Anyway interesting article Matt, I hear you're placement time at Made for Mums has come to an end - i've enjoyed your articles over the past few months and wish you much success and happiness in the future.